Chapter 5
Chapter 5
I thought about it for a long time.
Whether he had recognized me or not.
Five years with no contact whatsoever.
A brief six months.
Back then, in order to sever myself completely from who I used to be, I had started using an alias on the very first day of my trip.
When I rented the RV, the guy at the counter said he had employee benefits and told me to just pay him directly so he could rent it under his name. I agreed because it was convenient.
Two years ago, I accidentally fell while going downstairs and broke the bridge of my nose. I had some minor cosmetic work done after that. Even my old classmates from before had nearly failed to recognize me.
In short.
In appearance, temperament, identity, and name, I was an entirely different person from that older woman five years ago.
He probably hadn’t recognized me.
As for those few ambiguous things he’d said…
Thinking about it carefully, they were perfectly normal in context.
I had overreacted.
…
As expected, my judgment was right.
For the next while, everything was normal.
I gave Xie Lian regular financial reports, and he would also casually call me to his office to explain some work matter or ask about a certain budget detail.
My contact with him
remained entirely within the reasonable scope of a superior and a subordinate, a Chairman and the person in charge of finance.
Businesslike, polite, and proper.
I slowly got used to this state of affairs.
During meetings, I could argue my case with him over a set of figures without any burden at all, and when others made jokes, I could relax and laugh along for a few moments.
I thought,
that hot, brief journey had merely been an exception in which we both stepped outside our normal lives.
Like a whirlwind.
When it came, sand and stones flew, and everything burned with reckless heat.
When it left, it could also calm just as quickly, fading until it felt as if it had never existed at all.
That day,
I had just arrived at the office when I saw a young girl standing inside.
Long, straight black hair, a white dress-pure-looking and beautiful.
She introduced herself politely.
“Hello, Sister Cheng. My name is Yu Yue. I’ll be interning at the company for a while, so I came over to say hello first.”
I nodded courteously.
She smiled shyly and left.
Two of my subordinates rushed to gossip to me, each trying to get the words out first.
“Sister Cheng, you must never offend her in the future. We just asked who introduced her for the internship, and she said it was her Chairman brother! Turns out she’s an orphan the Chairman’s family adopted. She grew up in his house.”
“Now I finally know why the Chairman came to Hangcheng when he clearly has so many companies in Haicheng. So it was to come pave the way for this little godsister of his in advance!”
“Oh no, I’ve been really into the whole not-actually-siblings thing lately. The key is, the two of them look so good together!”
“Right, right? I’m totally shipping them too…”
The more they spoke, the quieter their voices became.
I frowned as I looked at my newly bought coat.
At some point, a smear of red mud had gotten on the elbow.
After thinking for a moment,
I found that pair of brushed-fabric sleeve covers and put them on.
That morning, Xie Lian called and told me to come to his office.
I saw Yu Yue again.
She was sitting on the sofa drinking juice, speaking to Xie Lian in a soft, delicate voice. Sunlight streamed in through the window and fell over her, making her look bright and youthful from head to toe.
Xie Lian beckoned me over.
After briefly introducing Yu Yue’s personal situation, he said, “She currently has two departments in mind. One is Marketing, and the other is the Finance Department. Considering Marketing requires a lot of business entertaining, I want her to go to your department.”
I listened seriously,
trying to figure out whether he meant for me to properly mentor her, or whether the internship was just a formality.
“What do you think?”
He paused, then suddenly lifted his head and looked at me.
“Can your side still take one more?”
I froze.
That familiar shiver surged up again.
His expression was perfectly ordinary, as though this were nothing more than a routine work discussion.
I suppressed my pounding heartbeat and answered quietly,
“…Yes.”
“Mm. Then let’s try it for now.”
His eyes shifted away, calm and undisturbed.